you with the command, "Seek On". You may have to move slightly in that direction at first, also. As your dog moves away from you, turn sharply in the opposite direction, giving a "pip-pip" on the whistle to catch his attention and encourage him to go ahead of you again with another "Seek on". Make sure that in those first steps you don't walk over ground that hasn't been worked. Usually, you want him to keep close, so no more than fifteen yards maximum away from you to the side and only five yards when passing in front. The maximum killing distance of a shotgun is around the forty-yard mark, so if a bird or rabbit is flushed at fifteen yards you have time to react and fire before it reaches the maximum range. Dogs that can get a little distracted when they are hunting or lose a little control at a distance, I keep even closer - inside the 'control perimeter'. If your dog turns on the whistle, looks at you, sees you are walking forward and then comes across much too far ahead in front, try standing still as you blow the turn whistle. Watch now whether your dog turns more towards you, coming into your body as he quarters. If he doesn't, give a recall whistle as he turns, stand still and bring him in close before casting him off using a flowing hand movement in the opposite direction. Do this regularly, so the dog goes out, turns, and works back towards your body before hunting out in the opposite direction. After a while the dog will realise that he is expected to cross close to you, and a much 'flatter' pattern will result. "Obedience to the sit, turn and recall whistle becomes a necessity once they are enjoying the hunt and chase." Some dogs just love to hunt and will do so basically for nothing. But in the majority of cases, to keep them hunting and optimistic of finding something it is essential to ensure that they do have finds. With young dogs, this can be a tennis ball or dummy that you drop close to you when they are not looking. If you drop them no more than five yards away from you the dog will come to realize that what he is looking for is near to you - rather than far away, and in this way work close. The moment that the dog turns on the whistle, turn your body in the direction you want him to now run and use your arm to point and direct across the front of you and to the opposite side. If you encourage him to come close to you as he crosses he will now scent the dummy and find it. This also helps to reinforce the recall. Of course, as when you do give a recall whistle, he will learn that by coming in he finds his retrieve. Listening to your whistle spells success. In the early days, you do not want to hunt your dog up for too long, and he will need as many finds as it takes to keep him optimistic and hunting in this period. If you see him tiring at any time, let him have a quick find and then stop for that lesson. Some dogs do require regular finds and others will hunt happily with hardly any - it is up to you to read and know your dog. Try as much as possible never to let your dog see you drop a dummy otherwise you will find that he will quickly learn to watch you and where you are dropping them - rather than hunting. Sometimes it pays to go out and 'seed' the ground with dummies prior to taking him out and hunting over it. Once your dog is working a neat and controlled pattern finding dummies, even cold game, it needs to progress to working an effective pattern of ground which takes into account differing wind directions, scenting conditions and types of cover. This pattern should be such that nothing is left unchecked. Every tussock, bush, bramble patch... whatever... has to be gone through and worked well. By strategically placing dummies for your dog to find in Page 2 | Spaniel Journal | Previous Page | Next Page |